Dispatch: 10 Emerging Canadian Talents at IDS

Studio North, with its Prototype exhibit, is one of the Interior Design Show’s most anticipated features, where some of Canada’s brightest design talents show off their innovations. Here are a handful of key players, plus their products, to seek out.

A Toronto design firm well known for its handmade rugs and carpets, Creative Matters introduces its collection of wall coverings. Its 12 inkjet patterns are made of vinyl or matte PVC-free paper using eco-friendly solvent inks.

A fixture in Toronto’s design community, Sabine’s known for reinventing familiar objects and experimenting with materials. His side table in smooth ash makes do with just two legs; the one in bent steel tube supports two-thirds of the table’s weight.

A young studio in Quebec City, Six Point Un returns to Studio North with a fresh collection of hardwood and powder-coated steel home furnishings. This modular shelving system – which comes in various sizes and heights and can be stacked or joined horizontally – was introduced last year as a prototype and is now in production.

A design and construction professional in Toronto, Smith is clearly inspired by the city’s built environment. Plate glass, which can be positioned in diamond and rectangular formations, rests atop curved one-inch, powder-coated re-bar.

Based in Toronto, Keeler has sharpened his skills working with the likes of Rich Brilliant Willing and Stephen Burks in New York. Here he introduces a fresh take on the archetypical hand mirror with a tabletop model in chrome-plated steel supported by a brass arm.

Hailing from Halifax, Ramsay launches his series of benches and coffee tables made from a single bent sheet of metal, the legs laser-cut with aerial views of a North American or European city map. In multiple powder-coated colours to choose from, including red and black, Ramsay can customize the maps to reflect any address.

Asymmetrical and tilted, Jamal’s three-piece set stacks in an artistic composition. Designed in Toronto, the earthenware plates and bowl are slip cast and glazed by hand. They are dishwasher and microwave-safe.

Its beveled edges and off-centre drawer lend this compact desk a faceted-stone effect. Set atop a tubular-steel base, the handcrafted work surface is made from 100 per cent post-industrial wood fibre finished in a glossy, VOC-free lacquer.

Inspired by the classic wooden ring toy, Ottawa’s McDonald mixes a single wooden dowel with various metal components to create a versatile home accessory. Add a shade and Stacking becomes a table or floor lamp; add the branch-like piece and it’s also a coat rack.

The Interior Design Show runs from January 24 to 27 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St.